Who is a Criminal - Parents or Providers?
Take a minute to read the articles linked to below then please share your thoughts:
Is this a question of the conflict of the separation of church and state? What is the child died after they sought medical care as well?
If a child dies in a parents arms who has not sought medical treatment, the parent is criminally liable and it is acceptable to put them in jail.
In contrast:
If a child dies in a medical setting from preventable errors after the parents have sought medical care of a trained health care provider, it is not acceptable to for the provider to be held criminally liable and serve jail time.
What is the disconnect in public sentiment on what to do when an adults chosen course of treatment causes irrevocable harm to a child at the mercy of the adults surrounding him/her?
How can this disconnect be repaired, or improved?
These are not easy questions to consider; but consider them we must because people are "doing time" for what others have defined as "not doing the right thing." What happens when those trained in the field don't do the right thing?
Is this a question of the conflict of the separation of church and state? What is the child died after they sought medical care as well?
If a child dies in a parents arms who has not sought medical treatment, the parent is criminally liable and it is acceptable to put them in jail.
In contrast:
If a child dies in a medical setting from preventable errors after the parents have sought medical care of a trained health care provider, it is not acceptable to for the provider to be held criminally liable and serve jail time.
What is the disconnect in public sentiment on what to do when an adults chosen course of treatment causes irrevocable harm to a child at the mercy of the adults surrounding him/her?
How can this disconnect be repaired, or improved?
These are not easy questions to consider; but consider them we must because people are "doing time" for what others have defined as "not doing the right thing." What happens when those trained in the field don't do the right thing?
My thoughts:
ReplyDeleteI am quite saddened to hear of these painful - and apparently needless - losses.
I am also perplexed.
Will the media cover what happens when the medical providers who indeed have the training and are paid to maintain a standard of care fall well below it and pediatric patients die?
Personally, I wish Kent's parents had allowed for some measure of medical intervention that could have saved his life.
I also wish that health care providers would allow for some measure of transparency with parents when a subpar provider is in their midst to limit how many children needlessly die because of their care. I just don't understand why we are prosecuting parents so quickly yet do not consider it for trained medical providers. Quite frankly, why so quick to consider jail for either instead of more education and communication for both?
Rather, this obvious hypocrisy should open the door to meaningful conversations on how to improve access to quality health care for the most vulnerable in society. Transparency, community and conversation will save other children's lives - those being denied care for religious reasons & those being injured by subpar providers.